Riders Down - USAT Duathlon Nationals

What happens when you put together the following recipe:

• 200 + "A" type MultiSport Athletes





• 4 Loop 40K ,Tight, Hilly, Technical Bike Course with Hairpin Turns





• Team USA Spots on the line





• Oh...Yeah...and a violent storm front that soaked the pavement and covered the roads in wet leaves

Mix together and you get Carnage.

The race started out very innocent as we rolled through a very tough 10k which I enjoyed. I held back a bit but it wasn't easy with the insane pace it went out in. Unlike most races where you know the people are coming back to you....everyone here knows what there doing. Last half mile to the transition was uphill....ouch.

On to the action. Never in any of the races I have done did I see so many flats, accidents, DNF's, poor souls carrying there bikes miles because the SAG wagon couldn't keep up. For me the pain started on the second lap about 16k into the race when making a 180 degree turn around a cone, another "A" type came in to fast...lost his wheels and down we went. Good news was I was able to protect my bike....bad news was I protected it by holding my legs up as I slid about 20 feet on my side and hip. Road Rash now has a new Poster Boy. I managed to get up, pull myself together, and remount my bike. I was clipped in before I noticed my chain was off. Stop, fix chain, watch as people blow past me and now I panic. Back on the bike and I proceed to hammer trying to make up some of what I lost (I would pay for this later). Now 30k into the ride and on a 400 m hill that had a switchback every 100 m.....guess what...yup....time to be taken down again. What the hell did I do to deserve this. Back up...bloody...beaten..but not done. I remounted the bike and pushed on. I don't think I was ever so happy to be done with a bike leg of a race.

Off onto the final 5k and I never got back into my groove. I'm not sure if it was the wrecks, hammering to catch up after the wrecks, or that it just wasn't my day but my final run was just OK.....nothing spectacular....just OK. I finished 50th in the country which based on the day I will take it. 12th in my category missing Worlds by 2 spots (damn Wrecks).

That which does not kill us only makes us stronger. Orlando Half Ironman in just a few days.....the fires burning hotter than ever.

Season Debut

Well I started off my true multi sport season last weekend with a very solid performance. Going into the race I was a bit worried that all of the Ultra Distance training I have been putting in would leave me with little to no speed in my legs. After all this race is a sprint by every definition of the word. The 3 Sports Duathlon was a 3 mile run, 18 mile bike, followed by another 3 mile run. The field was loaded with some very fast guys and I became even more discouraged as I looked around. Tom Jeffery, current USA National Duathlon champ was there. So was Adam Ostot, a local pro and Mens 25-29 World Duathlon Champ. Another half dozen or so competitor wore there Team USA gear as this race was a tune up for those of us racing in the National Championships next weekend. The weather was warm and muggy but who was I to complain, last year during this same race Richmond saw its only blast of snow for 2007. Big difference.

To the start line I went. Bang......off we go and my goodness it was a sprint. Where we really going that fast or was I just that out of the speed that I once had. I looked at my watch...5:05 pace....yeah, lets slow this down. I dropped off knowing if I had kept that up I would do what I counted on most of the field doing.....sucking wind sooner than later. We hit the turn around at the 1.5 mile mark and that when people started coming back to me. I ended the first 3 mile run in 16:46 and felt great in 14th place, into a quick 38 sec transition, and off on the bike. The bike leg is what ate me up in every race I competed in last year so I focused on it the most in the off season and my hard work paid off. The course was anything but flat with 8 Major climbs. 23.1 mph was my average speed which is a far cry from 18.9 mp last year.

Into another quick transition and back out for another 3 mile run. My legs felt a bit sluggish but I knew it would wear off....I had people in front of me to catch...no time for heavy legs. I managed a 17:50 second run leg and a strong 10th place overall. A nice start to my season and a good warm up for next weeks National Championship. Wish me luck...I am going to need it.